Nobody will soon forget the effort and production of the Browns’ former special teams dynamo, allowed to leave through free agency and join the Oakland Raiders.

But Benjamin’s 91-yard touchdown Thursday night against the St. Louis Rams in a preseason opener demonstrates why the Browns felt good about their punt-return game in the post-Cribbs era. Days after declaring himself one of the NFL’s five fastest players, Benjamin motored down the left sideline untouched to the end zone.

View full sizeTravis Benjamin had plenty of blocking and few Rams around him in the final 30 yards of his punt-return TD Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer

“I saw an open opportunity,” he said. “Once I knew I had the edge, I trusted my guys blocking for me. I knew if I got the edge, it would be a quick touchdown.”

His second-quarter dash contributed to a 27-19 victory on a night the Browns’ front-line specialists all played relatively well.

• Kickers Brandon Bogotay (25 yards) and Shayne Graham (41 yards) – competing for the honor/burden of replacing Phil Dawson – each converted a field goal. Bogotay later missed a second attempt from 54 yards.

• T.J. Conley had a 43-yard punt downed inside the Rams 1.

• The kick coverage was solid as even first-round pick Barkevious Mingo made a jarring first-quarter hit.

Special teams coach Chris Tabor had to be pleased if only for one night. The free-agent losses of Cribbs and Dawson, who both played in the Pro Bowl, pose significant challenges for Tabor.

As he repopulates his units, the coordinator knew he had something in Benjamin, a wisp of a receiver with quick feet and long braids. He had punt returns of 40 and 93 yards in his rookie season -- the second establishing a record for the longest in franchise history.

His 5-10, 175-pound frame raises durability concerns, but Benjamin’s speed often keeps him from harm’s way.

“Freaky fast,” quarterback Brandon Weeden said of Benjamin, who also caught a 12-yard pass. “The guy can go. If he gets a crease then watch out, he’s one of the fastest guys I’ve ever been around.”

Benjamin was asked last week if he’d ever been caught from behind playing football. His expression all but answered the question.

In the same interview Benjamin paid tribute to his predecessor, who played eight seasons with the Browns.

“I learned a lot from Cribbs,” Benjamin said. “He was so smooth in catching (kicks). He taught me a lot about alignment, about what to do when the ball is coming down. In some stadiums, you have to look up at the lights. It's all about seeing the ball.”

Cribbs was happy to learn of Benjamin's touchdown Thursday night and shared it with his Twitter followers.

@TravisBenjamin3 congrats son!!! I heard about the return... Keep it going all season...ðð

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.